NNPC Foundation, Zenith Bank, Others Lead at 2025 SERAS Awards

Raheem Akingbolu

The 19th edition of The SERAS Africa Sustainability Awards  has been held in Lagos to celebrate the continent’s most influential organisations and leaders driving transformative sustainable development.

NNPC Foundation dominated the night, emerging as Overall Winner and reaffirming its leadership in social investment across Africa. The foundation clinched three major awards: Best in Poverty Reduction, Best in Stakeholder Management, and Best Organisation in Decent Work and Economic Growth, cementing its position as a trailblazer in national development and community resilience.

Zenith Bank Plc delivered an exceptional performance, securing Best in Reporting/Transparency and Best in Gender Equality & Women Empowerment. The bank’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Dame Adaora Umeoji, also carted home the coveted CEO of the Year Award, recognising her groundbreaking leadership in sustainable finance and inclusive transformation. She clinched this award from a pool of CEOs representing the 325 organisations that participated in the 2025 edition. She has made history as the first female CEO to win the honours in the 19-year history of the awards.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) also stood out, winning Best in Infrastructure Development and Best in Financial Inclusion, underscoring its strategic role in strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base and expanding access to finance for underserved communities.

The ceremony further spotlighted a diverse range of top-performing organisations—including Opay, IHS Towers, Airtel, Union Bank Plc, TotalEnergies, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Shell, Seplat, Nigerian Bottling Company, Rite Foods, Stanbic IBTC, NASCO Allied, Building Practice, Lagos Free Zone, Lafarge Africa, News Central, and Integrated Indigo —each recognised for exemplary contributions to sustainability, innovation, and community impact.

On the individual honours platform, celebrated Nollywood star Stephanie Linus received the African Outstanding Achievement Award in Gender Equality/Women Empowerment for her groundbreaking advocacy and creative influence through her internationally acclaimed movie that touched on the challenges of early girl-child marriages- Dry. CEO of NNPC Foundation, Dr. Emmanuella Arukwe,  was named African Sustainability Professional of the Year, while Nzan Ogbe was honoured as African Sustainability Man of the Year for his transformative contributions to clean energy manufacturing.

In his welcome address, Founder of The SERAS, Ken Egbas,  highlighted the evolution of the awards over nearly two decades, noting their ascent to becoming the gold standard for sustainability recognition in Africa and a benchmark for organizations worldwide.

Egbas explained that the 2025 theme—“Sustainability 2.0: Innovating for Impact and Inclusive Growth”—signals a decisive shift toward bold, future-focused action:

“Africa cannot afford business-as-usual. We must innovate—relentlessly, boldly, audaciously. We must connect growth to inclusion, profit to purpose, ambition to equity. This year’s organizations have shown that this future is attainable.”

He highlighted inspiring efforts across sectors, from financial inclusion breakthroughs to telecommunications-driven digital empowerment, deeper climate commitments in the energy industry, circular economy advances in manufacturing, and community transformation led by foundations.